The Rhyn Trilogy Read online

  Kris looked away. "She's an immortal mate."

  "Not uncommon," Andre replied. "What else?"

  Kris chuckled, aware his older brother could wait him out.

  "She's an Ancient's mate."

  "Ah," Andre said softly. "Then you're in a bind, if you intend to claim her."

  "Can't leave this one to fate," Kris said in the same quiet tone. "But there’s Jade. Do you…"

  "You and I have always put the Council and our mission first," Andre reminded him. "Now is not the time to doubt yourself. Of all our brothers, you are the only one who can lead us to victory. If this woman gives you the power to do so…"

  Kris said nothing, feeling at once foolish and like he was the child Andre used to chastise for failing to focus on his duties. Andre clasped his shoulder, bowed his head, and disappeared.

  Kris willed himself to the shadow world and walked back to his underground refuge, heart heavy. Jade awaited him, as he expected. Kris accepted the glass of whiskey but avoided Jade's extended hand.

  His lover of many years sensed his unease and waited for him to speak.

  "The woman we found is an immortal's mate," he started.

  "I know," Jade said, seating himself. "You have someone in mind for her?"

  "I do."

  Jade waited, and Kris held his gaze in silence. He watched the expectant look turn to one of disbelief. Jade's jaw grew lax before he managed to speak.

  "You're serious?"

  "I'm bound by my duty," Kris replied.

  "But this? You'd leave me for her?"

  "Not by choice, Jade. Her talent can--"

  "You can mate her to one of our friends! There's no--" Jade pointed out.

  "She's an Ancient's mate, not just any immortal's mate," Kris explained.

  "Give her to Andre."

  "Jade."

  His gut twisted as raw emotion crossed Jade's face. His friend and lover searched his face hard, then rose and stalked out.

  Kris let him go despite his desire to follow him. There was nothing he could say that would take away the pain he'd just caused.

  He poured himself more whiskey and sat on the sofa, feeling utterly alone for the second time in his life.

  His gaze strayed to the desk, where Katie's file sat. He'd go to her apartment tomorrow and explain to her what her fate was about to become. He suspected the conversation would go as well as his talk with Jade.

  His chest felt tight, but he refused to admit his pain.

  Jade stormed out of the study and shoved past two warriors in the hallway. Blinded by emotion, he made his way out of the underground compound without knowing where he went. He broke into a run when he reached the country road leading away from the compound.

  He ran until his pounding heart drowned out his pounding feet. Cold air made his lungs ache, and he slowed then stopped, buckling over to catch his breath.

  The pain in his chest couldn't equate with the pain and distress shooting through him like cold fire. He dropped to his knees and wiped messily at the snot streaming from his nose and the tears frozen to his cheeks.

  Images of Kris, his only love in two thousand years, swam through his thoughts. He remembered everything from where they met, their first kiss, their first night together. The memories collided and tortured him, replaying with painful detail.

  He'd never felt pain this intense in any of his battles!

  He roared and slammed his fists against the ground.

  "Kris's pet."

  He whirled at the all too familiar voice and sprung to his feet.

  "Sasha!"

  "Hello, Jade," Sasha purred.

  Jade straightened, eyeing the dark figure with bright eyes.

  "Looks like the shape you left me in," Sasha said, "when you ditched me for dear Kris."

  "Get away from me!"

  "Who'd he leave you for?"

  Jade said nothing, pain spiraling through him.

  "He left you for someone," Sasha insisted, drawing near.

  "What do you want, Sasha?"

  "My lover is in pain, and you ask me why I'm here?"

  "We've been through for hundreds of years," Jade replied.

  "True. I still feel when you're upset. We've always had that bond."

  Jade knew he should've walked away the moment Sasha appeared. He found himself lingering, wanting to feel a little less alone. Sasha was their enemy.

  Kris's enemy.

  He faced Sasha, recalling the years they'd spent together. He broke off their relationship when Kris took interest in him and soon after, Kris convinced Andre to banish Sasha to Hell.

  Trying to convince himself he was too angry to think straight, Jade shook his head and turned away.

  "Whether or not you still care for me, you care for him. Let me help you, Jade." Sasha's voice stopped him again. "A favor from an old friend who doesn't want to see you in pain."

  "I don’t trust you, Sasha."

  "You did once, long ago. Come and sit with me, like old times. I'll take your pain away."

  Jade squeezed his eyes closed and said hoarsely, "No one can help me."

  "I can. Come with me. An hour is all I ask. If you tell me to leave at the end of it, I'll never bother you again."

  He hesitated, at war with himself. There was nothing Sasha could ever say, nothing he could ever do in an hour. But right now, Jade needed someone who understood him, as only Sasha always had.

  "One hour," Jade said. "Then you leave me alone forever."

  "Deal," Sasha said. "Come with me, my love."

  "Katie, your kid’s on line two!" one of the cooks shouted back to her.

  She looked from the computer screen to the phone with the flashing red light. She sat in the general manager's office of the fast food joint where she'd worked for a couple of months six months. The office was small but clean and smelled of fried food. The general manager was on maternity leave, and Katie rifled through several drawers before locating a bottle of painkillers. She was hungover and tired, with a roiling stomach and headache, yet she managed to make it to work before the breakfast rush. Only after she tossed back a couple of painkillers did she pick up the phone.

  "What’s up, Toby?"

  "Hi! I didn’t want to go to school today and stayed home but we’re out of marshmallows and Gabriel doesn’t have any money so I told him that we could ask you to pick up more marshmallows because we both really like them."

  "You need anything else from the store?" she asked, her head hurting more.

  "Nope. Oh, but you might want to get some…Gabriel, what does he like?"

  She heard a mumbled response.

  "Oh, never mind. Kris will send a car for you."

  "Kris? Why?" she asked suspiciously.

  "He wants to talk to you."

  "Tell him I kinda have a life and don’t really care what he wants."

  There was a moment of silence, then a child’s gleeful laugh. "Can I really tell him that?" Toby asked.

  "Please do."

  "Awesome!"

  "Listen, I’ve got work to do,” she said. “I’ll bring you marshmallows. Text me if you need anything else."

  "Okay! G’bye, Mama!"

  "Don’t call me that. We both know better," she grumbled.

  He laughed again, and she hung up, pressing the heels of her palms to her eyes. She’d fallen asleep in Kris’s library after half a bottle of whiskey and awoken in her own bed with a throbbing headache and dry mouth.

  She’d dared to hope again that everything was a hallucination brought on by too much alcohol, until Toby burst in chasing a cat she didn’t remember owning. The boy had clambered across her bed, shrieked happily, and chased the cat under the bed.

  "Katie! Visitor!" one of the cashier girls said with a jarring knock.

  Katie sighed and sat up straight a second before the door was pushed open to reveal someone she didn’t know. The stranger was well dressed, tall, and handsome with eyes too dark and still for her comfort.

  "Ms. Young, I
’m David Kingsly, from Kingsly Enterprises."

  Surprised, she rose and shook his hand. His multimillionaire father's picture was on the wall, and he owned two dozen restaurants in the Annapolis area, including this one.

  "It’s a pleasure, sir. I apologize for the mess. I wasn’t expecting you. Are you here for the GM?" she asked, flustered the GM hadn’t warned her about his visit. “I can call her.”

  "No, no. I drop by on occasion to check on my father’s restaurants," he said with a quick glance around. "The GM said your team came up with the latest marketing campaign. I wanted to thank you in person. It's increased profits about seven percent over last quarter."

  "Thanks," she said, smiling. "We have a good group here."

  "A good leader makes a good team the best, as my father says."

  Despite the honor of his visit, she couldn’t help but feel a trickle of familiar coldness at his still gaze. He smiled but his eyes did not. He resembled his father in height and narrow face, though there was warmth in his father’s face she didn’t see in his. For a moment, she thought she saw tattoos blaze across his neck and then disappear.

  "We intended to invite the GM to our fundraiser tomorrow night, before I was told she’s on maternity leave. My father feels it’s important to recognize all those who support our family’s success. We’d be happy if you attended our gala in her place." He reached into his jacket and produced an embossed invitation in peach and brown.

  "I’d be honored," she said, accepting it. "Thank you, Mr. Kingsly."

  "David," he said with another smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "I look forward to seeing you there."

  He rose and left, and she stared after him, excited for the first good day in months. She dialed her sister immediately.

  "Sis, I need some help," she said as soon as Hannah answered.

  "Oh. Another issue?"

  "No. I was invited to some Kingsly gala. I need something to wear."

  "Some Kingsly gala or the biggest event of the fall?" her sister asked with a laugh.

  The sound of Hannah’s voice made Katie long for something more familiar than her world had become.

  "Hey--you mind if I come over after work?” she asked. “Toby’s…going to a friend’s house for the night, and I’m sick of my apartment."

  "Yeah, sure. You were supposed to come for brunch tomorrow anyway. I’d planned a spa day tomorrow before the gala. We can add shopping to that; I know you don’t have anything nice to wear."

  Katie rolled her eyes. A day and a half with her sister was as much as she could tolerate; faced with the alternative of returning to her creepy apartment with its creepy occupants, she’d tough it out.

  She survived the day of bitching customers and employees alike and arrived late in the evening to Hannah's, a mansion in the outskirts of Annapolis where her sister lived with her fiancé, Giovanni.

  Hannah opened the front door before Katie reached it, took one look at her and frowned fiercely.

  "You couldn’t change before showing up?" she asked, looking past her out at the street.

  "It's not like you have neighbors, sis," Katie replied impatiently. "Afraid I'll make you look bad in front of the 'hood?"

  "With the money Gio paid for you to go to Georgetown, you'd think you could last a full semester or at least get a better job than this!" Hannah started.

  Katie sighed. Hannah stood aside as she entered the large foyer, lecturing her as they ascended to the second floor. Katie knew the mansion well enough after living with Hannah and Giovanni for a year before the fight that made Hannah force Gio to rush out to get Katie an apartment, for fear she’d run away to Europe like she swore.

  "…how expensive Georgetown is, Katherine!" Hannah continued.

  "I know, Hannah."

  "You're eighteen, a single mom, and you've got a shitty job and frankly, a shitty attitude about your future. Why do you smell like alcohol?"

  Katie pushed the door to her designated guest room and stripped out of the grease-stained, French fry scented clothing. Hannah continued on the same speech Katie heard every time they were together.

  "You know I'm just concerned," Hannah finished. "Toby--"

  "He'll be fine," Katie bit off. "I came here for a break, Hannah."

  "Gio and I are worried. Everywhere you work, you're recognized for being the brilliant person I know you are. Why can't you pick an office job or at least try to go to school?"

  "I don't know, Hannah. I'm not sure what I want to do with my life," Katie said. “And with Toby in the picture …”

  "Well, do something! You owe your child to keep him off welfare."

  Katie flung herself on the bed. Despite Hannah’s criticisms, she would still rather be here than at her apartment, even knowing Hannah would never believe her story about Toby and the death dealer.

  "I'm assuming you already ate," Hannah said, nose crinkling. "Take a shower and come down to say hello to Gio. He's letting me buy your gown for tomorrow, so you might as well be nice to him."

  With a sigh, Katie pushed herself off the bed and obeyed.

  Chapter Three

  Katie maneuvered her sequined ball mask into place only to see her sister on the verge of disappearing in the masses of women in custom gowns and masks. The women’s coatroom was off one side of the entrance of a mansion even larger than that of Giovanni.

  "Who throws a Halloween gala where no one dresses up?" she grumbled, uncomfortable in her formal dress. She’d last dressed up for Hannah’s engagement party two years ago.

  "Masquerade, not Halloween," Hannah replied.

  Katie didn’t reply, gaping at a woman in her sixties with enough diamonds to reverse world hunger.

  "Stop it!" Hannah hissed. "Pretend to fit in. Don’t embarrass me."

  Hannah struck off, and Katie lost sight of her one again. She emerged from the coat room in time to see her sister stop beside her fiancé. Katie moved toward them steadily, self-conscious in the snug teal gown that displayed the curves the slender women around her didn’t have. The neckline was plunging, revealing the curves of her full breasts.

  Her sister had chosen the gown and--thankfully--paid for it. It was three months’ salary for Katie, though Hannah had added it to the black AmEx her fiancé paid in full every month without a second thought.

  Just like their four-hour trip to the spa, the wardrobe Hannah bought Toby, the jewelry they both wore. Within a four-hour period, Hannah had dropped $50K. For once, Katie was beyond grateful. She felt almost human again after the drama of her week. She fully intended to return the gown and tanzanite jewelry dripping off her ears and neck, but for the night, she enjoyed feeling like Cinderella.

  She trailed Hannah into the massive foyer with a dangling chandelier, regally arcing stairway, and an army of wait staff in tuxes circulating alcohol and hors d’oeuvres. Massive ballrooms flanked either side of the foyer, one whose orchestra filled the mansion with calming music, and the other devoted to a buffet unlike any Katie had ever seen. The swirl of gowns of dancing couples drew her attention to the ballroom with the orchestra. She walked through the masses, comfortably hidden behind her mask. No one would know she didn’t belong among the blue bloods in this crowd. Beyond the main room were two hallways, also packed, and opened doors along both where men and women circulated.

  Katie paused to look around. She’d lost Hannah in the crowd. Her sister wore maroon, as did many of the other women in masks around her. She fingered the small teal evening purse hanging around her wrist, where her cell phone was. Worst case scenario, she’d call her sister.

  Completely free, she relaxed and accepted a glass of champagne from one of the wait staff and waded toward the buffet. She paused in the doorway, realizing she was squeezed too tightly into her dress to eat anything. Instead she crossed to the full bar and traded the champagne for a triple shot of whiskey on the rocks. She sipped, surprised at the smooth flavor. It wasn’t cheap like the stuff she bought.

  "Triple shot of whiskey, no ice."
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  She shifted as the male form attached to the voice squeezed into the area behind her. Saluting the bartender with her glass, she started to move away when a warm hand on her forearm stopped her. She turned, surprised, and looked up into eyes the color of her jewelry. Most of his face was hidden behind the mask, but his silver-white hair was too familiar to be anyone else’s.

  "We have similar taste in alcohol," he said, and lifted his glass to her.

  "Did you follow me here?" she demanded, refusing his salud.

  "I got you invited."

  She suddenly felt foolish for believing David Kingsly. No blue blood like the Kingslys gave a damn about some deadbeat assistant GM at a fast food joint! She tossed the whiskey back and gulped it down, then slapped the glass on the bar before turning away.

  She searched for half an hour before spotting her sister sitting in one of the airy rooms off the hallway near the buffet. There were several women sitting and talking while choosing delicacies from large silver trays. They’d all removed their masks.

  Hannah glanced up with a smile at her approach and patted the seat beside her. Katie sat, irritated to see who followed with a confident stride and two glasses of whiskey, one with ice and the other without. He drew the eye of every woman in the room and silenced those around her with his presence.

  "Excuse me, ladies. Katie, you forgot your drink at the bar," Kris said, holding out the iced whiskey to her.

  She didn’t miss Hannah’s stunned look, as if it were a miracle her homely sister could catch the eye of anyone!

  His move was too deliberate to be other than planned. He stood far enough away that she had to stand and walk a step to reach him. When she accepted the glass, he followed with a quick and confident, "Let’s take a walk around."

  If not for Hannah’s surprised silence, she would’ve refused him. He held out an arm she ignored, instead marching past him. He caught up to her in the hallway.

  "Whatever it is you want, the answer is no," she told him. “I just want you to leave me alone.”

  She felt his gaze and suspected she’d pissed him off again with her directness. He placed a hand on the small of her back and led her through the crowd to the ballroom with the orchestra and the dancers. He snatched the whiskey from her hand and placed their glasses on a table.